Tell Me it's Me
by CountTheCrows
Summary: One of three one-shots surrounding the Bay/Emmett situation. First chapter is Bay and Toby, second one will be Toby and Emmett, and third will be Bay and Emmett, but I can't say where Bay and Emmett will be at the end of this story. Mild spoilers from the promos.


Tell Me it's Me

**A/N: This is going to be three one-shots. First one is Bay and Toby, second will be Toby and Emmett, and the third will be Emmett and Bay. Spoilers from 1x23 mostly from the promos.**

Toby Kennish never considered himself to be just one of the guys. He always felt different in a way. He couldn't pinpoint it, but he had to admit part of it was due to his sensitivity. He didn't want to see anyone he cared about being hurt, which is why his heart broke in a million pieces seeing Bay after the cruel revelation about Emmett and Toby's ex-girlfriend, Simone.

Truthfully Toby could have given two shits about Simone. He didn't love her, and he had been over their relationship pretty much from the beginning, but Bay was a different story. Bay loved Emmett and not just some high school puppy love, but the real thing. Toby honestly thought they would have lasted, but Emmett turned out to be a cheating prick who frankly didn't deserve to kiss the ground his sister walked on. Bay acted like she was over it, over him, but Toby _knew_ Bay; he may not have been biologically related to her, but they had a bond that went beyond blood, so he knew that the younger Kennish was not over it by a long shot, which is why when he saw her sitting by the pool so late at night his immediate reaction was to punch Emmett, sure as shit that he had something to do with it.

But that would have to wait because right now his little sister needed him, and he would do anything he could for her, because to tell you the truth, he was lacking as a big brother. He swore to protect her. Bay didn't remember it because she was so young, but it was in one of her youngest moments that Toby promised to protect Bay, and he was going to cherish that promise. He approached her gently as he could tell she'd been crying. Her face was all red and puffy as it tended to get right after a big crying session.

"Bay?"

She didn't answer, didn't even look up. She may have been sixteen, but to Toby she just looked so _small_. He remembered when Bay was first learning to swim in this pool. John being ultra-competitive about everything made it his mission the summer Bay was three to teach her to swim, but of course, that didn't go so well. John ended up getting so frustrated and walked away after several hours to no avail and Bay was still using her swimmies. Toby was only four at the time, but he remembered how small and sad Bay looked then thinking even at that young and tender age that she was a failure. It wouldn't be the last time that happened, but he had to admit it had been a while since he had seen her so down. As much as he fucking hated Emmett right now, he did make her smile in their better moments. Not just smile, but light up. Emmett really brought Bay out of her shell and made her feel loved, that is until he decided to sleep with someone else.

He nudged Bay and tried again.

"Contemplating a midnight swim?" Bay laughed. It was a small laugh, a small victory, but still a victory.

"Yeah, right."

He just wanted to give her a hug, but he knew Bay too well. She would push him away if he tried. It's not that Bay and him weren't close, but she put up walls far too often, and this was definitely one of those times. Bay was one of those people you had to let come to you and open up at her own time, in her own way. He knew if he just sat there eventually she'd tell him what was wrong, and he had no where better to be frankly.

"I just keep thinking…." began the raven-haired girl, but she stopped.

"What? What are you thinking?" Bay sighed.

"I just keep thinking, maybe it's me," she said in such a low, defeated voice.

"Maybe what is you?"

"Look at my track record; Liam wanted Daphne, and even before that I'm not even sure he even liked me most of the time, Ty decided to go miles away from me, and Emmett slept with someone else. It's me. I'm the reason they all leave. I'm not _good enough_."

Toby's heart broke into a thousand pieces. How could she possibly think it was her?

"It's _not_ you. You can't lump it all together like that. You can't let what a few idiots did make you doubt how wonderful you are." She started to cry.

"Then why, Toby? Why? Why did he do it? Why couldn't I have just been enough for him? Why did he have to go and sleep with Simone of all people? It has to be me….there's something wrong with me."

That was it. He wasn't going to let her do this. He grabbed her, picked her up, and turned her to face him.

"It is _not_ you. Emmett did what he did because he's an idiot. It had nothing to do with you, and there is _not_ something wrong with you. Don't ever let me hear you say that again."

Bay started to cry , and really hard at that. She let Toby hug her as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest.

"Tell me what I can do Bay. How can I help?" He needed to fix this for her. She was his baby sister, and he loved her.

Bay removed herself from Toby's embrace and looked at him, looked down at her feet, then back up to him and in a sad, low voice said "Tell me it's me." But Toby shook his head and mouthed "No." He wasn't going to let Bay blame herself. She said it again.

"Tell me it's **me.**"

Once again, Toby shook his head, and apparently that set Bay off. She started to punch him with both fists.

"You lied. You said you wanted to help me, but you don't." Punch. "I need you to tell me it's me, because there's no other way I can live with it. If it's me, it makes sense. I make everything worse, I do everything wrong. Just tell me it's me."

"No."

Punch. Punch. Punch.

But Toby had enough. He grabbed her arms.

"Bay, _enough._"

And finally, she stopped and let herself fall to the ground. Toby sighed and started walking back to the house when he heard Bay whisper one last time, "Tell me it's me."


End file.
